The virtue of reading Qur’aan at night when people are asleep

Question

What is the virtue of reading the Qur’aan at night when people are asleep?.

Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that the Qur’aan will
intercede for those who read it at night, as Ahmad (6626) narrated from
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fasting and the Qur’aan will intercede for a
person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, ‘O Lord, I deprived him
of his food and his desires during the day, so let me intercede for him.’
And the Qur’aan will say: ‘I deprived him of his sleep at night so let me
intercede for him.’ Then they will intercede.” Narrated by Ahmad; classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 3882.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
stated that reading the Qur’aan at night is one of the blessings that the
believer is to be envied for. He said: “There should be no envy except in
two cases: a man to whom Allaah teaches the Qur’aan, so he recites it during
the night and during the day, and his neighbour hears him and says, ‘Would
that I had been given what So and so has been given and I could do what he
does, and a man to whom Allaah gives wealth so he spends it all for the sake
of the truth, and a man says, ‘Would that I had been given what So and so
has been given and I could do what he does.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
4738.

Reading Qur’aan at night saves one from negligence, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever
reads ten verses at night will not be recorded as one of the negligent.”
Narrated by al-Haakim, who said it is saheeh according to the conditions of
Muslim. Al-Albaani said in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (640): It
is saheeh because of corroborating reports.

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Whoever observes these prescribed prayers regularly will not be
recorded as one of the negligent, and whoever reads one hundred verses in a
night will be recorded as one of the devout.” Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah in
his Saheeh, and by al-Haakim, who said it is saheeh according to the
conditions of both (al-Bukhaari and Muslim). It was also classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 640.

Allaah has described the pious as follows (interpretation of
the meaning):

“They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their
Lord (Allaah) and praying, with fear and hope].

18. And in the hours
before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allaah) for forgiveness”